


The Present

by Storybookwriter



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Birthday, Birthday Present, Frankenstein - Freeform, Gen, I hope, help me, i hope i've done this right, idk man, my shortest work to date, really short fic, she likes frankenstein so i thought that this would be fitting, something cute i hope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2019-06-21 23:04:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15568323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Storybookwriter/pseuds/Storybookwriter
Summary: T'Pol gets a present for her birthday.





	The Present

Both Archer and Trip‘s features were fixed into identical expressions when T’Pol had entered onto the Bridge at exactly 0800 hours that morning. An expression that, based on previous experiences, T’Pol had learned not to trust. She glanced around. Everyone who was supposed to be on the bridge for that morning’s shift was there and not a moment later. There was not one occasion that she could name where she was most certainly the last person to enter the bridge at the beginning of a shift.  
“Somethin’ wrong, SubCommander?” Commander Tucker’s asked lightly further confirming her initial theory that a certain kind of mischievousness had occurred during the time she was off of the bridge.  
“Nothing.” She replied as she cast a look around the bridge one final time.  
She could feel several stared cling to her back as she approached her station. This may have been quite common for the first few days and even weeks after her impromptu addition to the crew, but that was a long time ago. She had been on this ship long enough that only the newer crewman turned their heads in the presence of the single Vulcan amongst a crew of humans. Except for today apparently. She allowed herself to briefly concern herself what could have provoked the sudden change in their behaviour when her hazel eyes caught sight of a perfectly wrapped rectangular object with a bow stuck to the top that distinguished itself from the dullness of the surroundings. She lifted the package and written in neat cursive “To T’Pol, with love.”  
She turned to the Captain, who was fighting a grin from his chair, for an explanation.  
“What? They don’t have birthday presents on Vulcan?”  
“Happy birthday, SubCommander,” Hoshi said from out of her station. T’Pol turned back to Archer with the same look that she often delivered when he ignored one of her suggestions.  
“Don’t worry.” He said quickly, slightly waving his hands for emphasis. “We’re not planning a grandiose surprise party or anything. But as you’re on this ship, you should try and get used to some of our customs. That includes,” He made a gesture to the package. “Giving presents on birthdays.”  
“And we aren’t going to take it back.” Trip added. “So it would be easier if you didn’t try and return it.”  
There was a moment of hesitance before she nodded her head curtly.  
“Thank you.”  
She placed the package on her station and began to conduct her routine scans.  
“Well?” Commander Tucker’s voice cut through the silence.  
She turned back.  
“Well” what?” She asked, a hint of annoyance lacing her words.  
“Aren’t you going to open it?”  
“On Vulcan during the rare occasion when we do get gifts, it is considered rude to open them in front of the people who gave you them.”  
“You’re not on Vulcan remember?”  
“Ain’t nothing here except for us humans,” Tucker said, earning a few chuckles from the bridge crew.  
Taking a deep breath, T’Pol lifted the package and began to delicately pick at the corners of the paper, removing the tape as slowly and as meticulously as she did everything. Sitting in her hands was a grey hardcover novel with the human heart sketched in blue scattered all over the cover. Written in the same blue ink on top of the book was “Frankenstein”.  
Archer had almost laughed out loud. The expression on her face did not change but there was no mistaking the way that her eyes lit up when they read the title. Like a child who was given the present they were told that his parents weren’t getting for them. He immediately thought back to the bookkeeper’s face when he had told him that his Vulcan crewman had developed an immense interest in “Frankenstein” and that he wanted the book.  
“The English is a bit older so I’ve written a Vulcan translation text on this PADD for reference,” Hoshi said, as she quickly approached T’Pol’s station and handed her the PADD. T’Pol quickly scanned the information and true to her word, the beginning sentences of the novel were written clearly in Vulcan.  
She raised her head and everyone present could swear that they say a tint of green flushing her face.  
“Thank you.” She said a second time and unless she was told to, T’Pol never repeated her words.


End file.
